The Bills go outside the box and add a big, physical safety at pick No. 26 in the first round.

One of the lesser discussed options for the Buffalo Bills entering the 2026 NFL Draft is the safety position.

Cole Bishop will return as an incumbent starter, but his running mate has yet to be firmly decided. A potential solution in the upcoming draft is Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, who has been projected to the Bills at pick No. 26 of the first round.

McNeil-Warren went to Buffalo at the tail end of Round 1 in NFL Network reporter Rhett Lewis’ recent mock draft, which some may consider an outside-of-the-box move for the Bills.

“The Bills signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency,” explained Lewis. “But pairing the rangy, playmaking safety McNeil-Warren with 2024 second-round pick Cole Bishop gives the Bills a long-term vision at the position.”

Bishop is a former second-round pick and turns 24 years old in October. The third-year pro is coming off a breakout season in which he finished with a team-high 85 tackles and three interceptions—both of which led the team—to go with seven passes defensed and two sacks.

McNeil-Warren is 22 years old and is coming off a career-best season. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound defensive back recorded 77 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five passes defensed a year ago.

“I’m versatile,” said McNeil-Warren at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I played in the box, I played up high. So being able to be, every play, everywhere on the field means a lot.”

Over 60% of his snaps during the 2025 campaign came from within the box, according to Pro Football Focus, which allowed him to display his physical nature as a downhill-style player. The Bills allowed the fifth-most yards rushing per game in the NFL (136.2), and bringing in a player like McNeil-Warren could help bolster an area in need of significant improvement.

“When I’m on the field, I can let all my anger out on the field,” said McNeil-Warren. “I feel like [other players] bleed just how I bleed. We’re both human, so we’re going to bleed together. And I just leave everything out on the field like it’s my last.”